Boulder officials said the city recently adopted the 2024 International Wildland‑Urban Interface (WUI) code with local amendments and are moving to align landscaping rules citywide with water‑efficiency, wildfire resistance and new state law.

Lisa Hood, principal planner, told council the WUI ordinance and an updated WUI map were adopted in recent months and that the new WUI building rules take effect Aug. 1. “The new code actually goes into effect on August 1. So that's tomorrow,” Hood said.

What staff proposed now is a separate but related citywide Waterwise Landscaping project to update the land‑use code and move technical requirements into an adaptable landscape manual and a single Boulder plant and tree list. The manual and plant list would be adopted by city manager rule to allow regular updates instead of embedding technical lists in ordinance text.

Key elements and legal context: staff said the WUI building code focuses new requirements on a 0‑to‑5‑foot “noncombustible zone” immediately adjacent to structures, limits combustible landscape materials in that zone and references a low‑flammability plant list. Staff noted the state’s wildfire resiliency code has been finalized and provides a one‑year window for local adoption compliance; staff will submit Boulder’s code to the state board for confirmation. In addition, state landscaping bills passed in the last two years place new limits on “nonfunctional turf” and expand prohibitions to some types of new development (staff cited a 2024 senate bill and a recent house bill expanding the rule to multiunit development).

Staff proposals and implementation: Planning staff described a set of draft attachments that include a recommended citywide tree/plant list (Attachment A), a draft landscape manual (Attachment B) and a draft ordinance to move technical standards out of code and into the manual (Attachment C). Carl Geiler, senior planner, said the manual would cover soil and mulch specifications, irrigation and plant lists, and that the city’s plan is to use the manual as a one‑stop regulatory resource for applicants.

Staff also presented resource estimates for broader triggers beyond building permits. If the city were to require WUI compliance at rental‑license renewal, staff estimated roughly 700 property reviews annually and the need for about 3.5 full‑time staff to implement. A time‑of‑sale requirement would be more complex; staff estimated roughly 500 property reviews a year and about 6.5 full‑time employees plus startup effort to implement city involvement in property sales.

Council questions focused on enforcement and equity. Several members asked whether the code can address high‑risk existing landscaping (for example, junipers) without requiring destruction of existing vegetation. Staff said the code as adopted already prohibits new juniper plantings in the WUI at permit trigger points; staff will research whether additional prospective restrictions (for example, limiting mulch types near junipers or required pruning standards moving forward) are legally and administratively feasible.

State law and turf rules: Carl Geiler said recent state bills prohibit certain nonfunctional turf in defined development types and that Boulder staff already planned to prohibit nonfunctional turf on multiunit developments in the city land‑use code. Staff also recommended the manual and plant list be managed by city manager rule so the city can update lists as new information, seedstock and technologies change.

Process and timeline: staff said they will continue outreach, refine the drafts and bring a proposed ordinance through the normal review process. Tentative dates offered: Planning Board (Sept. 2), Water Resources Advisory Board (Sept. 15) and City Council (tentatively Oct. 16). Staff flagged that full implementation of broad triggers (rental licensing, time‑of‑sale) would require extra staffing or a phased approach.

Why it matters: the project combines two public priorities—wildfire risk reduction and citywide water conservation—while balancing other city goals such as tree canopy and urban biodiversity. Staff proposed a flexible implementation path to adjust technical standards without redoing ordinance language each time.